Local gift returns rained out

By LINDELL KAY - Daily News Staff

Published: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 at 08:50 PM.

“For these items purchased between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, the limited return period will begin Dec. 26. This includes items such as TVs, cameras, computers, DVD and music players that can have a 15-30 day return period,” according to Walmart.com.

For shoppers who still have gifts to return, the NRF and the N.C. Better Business Bureau suggest waiting until Friday in order to avoid crowds. But remember time is of the essence when it comes to returns — don’t wait too long, according to the NRF.

Expect to be asked for your identification. For many stores it’s become policy in order to prevent fraud and the return of stolen merchandise using counterfeit or forged receipts.

Contact Daily News Senior Reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or lindell.kay@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook @ 1lindell.

Inclement weather Wednesday kept local Christmas gift returns down, but retailers said they expect to see more shoppers seeking exchanges in the coming days.

“We haven’t seen near as many returns this year compared to previous years,” said Matt Carawan, the manager at Best Buy on Western Boulevard in Jacksonville.

He said the weather more than likely played a part, but returns were down overall anyway.

Most big box retailers in a rain-soaked Jacksonville shared a similar experience Wednesday.

Employees at the Piney Green K-Mart said they had fewer returns than expected.

Hubert resident Robin Blake was at the K-Mart to return a few clothing items that were too big for her husband, but they were not Christmas presents.

“I was shopping so I brought these back, but it’s not gifts,” she said.

Returns were down at JCPenny in the Jacksonville Mall as well.

The store’s manager Joyce Teachey said she believed the weather was a factor, but also thought there would be fewer returns overall.

“A lot of kids came in with their parents to pick out what they wanted,” she said. “There’s a lot less returns that way.”

Nationwide, one-third of all holiday presents are expected to be returned, according to a survey conducted earlier this month by Ketchum Global Research & Analytics.

That survey says most people, 81 percent, wouldn’t be offended if a friend or family member returned a holiday gift. Clothing, with a 45 percent return rate, is the most often-returned gift, followed by electronics and toys at 8 percent each.

Most retailers have a 15-day return window from the date of purchase for electronics, so anyone looking to return or exchange televisions, computers and other electronics should go to the store of purchase as soon as possible, according to the National Retail Federation.

A notable exception this year is Walmart. The retail giant has adjusted its return policy temporarily for the holiday season.

“For these items purchased between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, the limited return period will begin Dec. 26. This includes items such as TVs, cameras, computers, DVD and music players that can have a 15-30 day return period,” according to Walmart.com.

For shoppers who still have gifts to return, the NRF and the N.C. Better Business Bureau suggest waiting until Friday in order to avoid crowds. But remember time is of the essence when it comes to returns — don’t wait too long, according to the NRF.

Expect to be asked for your identification. For many stores it’s become policy in order to prevent fraud and the return of stolen merchandise using counterfeit or forged receipts.

Contact Daily News Senior Reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or lindell.kay@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook @ 1lindell.

Post-Christmas

Nationally, Dec. 26, 2011, sales were $7.1 billion, a 25.5 percent increase over the day after Christmas 2010.

Shoppers last year returned nearly 10 percent — $46 billion — of all Christmas purchases.